The terms of public service are the prerogative of the public. Fundamental among those terms; public servants are accountable to the public, and to meaningful standards of conduct and competence, at least for the eight measly hours a day that we have to "trust" them with the control over our power and our resources.

Thursday, January 07, 2010

Apparently she lies there because the procedures at the Children Youth and Families Department didn't include any mechanism for forwarding reports of abuse, from staff members on vacation to staff members who are not.

"As of today, all staff members are required to haveinformation on their voice mailbox directing callers toalternate numbers, in case they're not there."

Well, duh! Too bad no one thought of that earlier.

Granted, not every eventuality can be imagined and preparedfor. Some can. Something as simple as forwarding messages forpeople on vacation, should have been standard operating procedure.

All of which begs at least one question; is the leadership of the CYFD up to the task? Were they hired or promoted based on skill set, or are they someone's cousin, crony, or political campaign supporter?

Every job in government should have attached to it, clear and unequivocal standards of conduct and competence. Those standards should be enforceable under an impartial system that is powerful enough to hold even the most powerful public servant accountable, even against their will.